


With Love

by SwanFloatieKnight



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bilbo Remains In Erebor, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Comfort, Cute, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gardens & Gardening, Homesickness, M/M, Married Couple, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:35:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29021334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwanFloatieKnight/pseuds/SwanFloatieKnight
Summary: Bilbo and Thorin are married and live in Erebor. But sometimes Bilbo misses the Shire. A lot. Especially the nature, the grass, the trees, the flowers.Until one day he decides that if he is to live beneath the mountain he will just have to plant his own garden there.
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Comments: 14
Kudos: 139





	With Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [IfIWouldDoThat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IfIWouldDoThat/gifts).



> I have been in love with Middle-earth for nearly 10 years and been writing and posting fics here for almost 5. Yet this is my very first Hobbit fic, I can hardly believe it myself XD
> 
> thanks to my lovely friend for the prompt! <3 <3 <3

A/N: I posted this fic on Ao3, and on Ao3 alone. If you read this on any other website or platform, please consider that I did not consent to this.

* * *

Sometimes Bilbo still wondered what had made him fall in love with the stubborn, dramatic, sometimes even arrogant King under the Mountain. And not only married, he had left his home for him, had moved to Erebor and was now living underground with.

Usually it only took one of Thorin’s soft smiles, a tender hug that wrapped Bilbo securely into his strong arms or a loving kiss from his husband to remind Bilbo why he had married him. Because he loved him after all, and because Thorin loved him, and because somehow he had known that they were made for one another.

Bilbo had grown used to a lot of things. Granted, he would never grow a beard. But he had grown used to eat five times a day instead of seven times, he let his hair grow out so that Thorin could braid him in the traditional way. Hell, he even wore shoes on some special occasions! He also knew that Thorin knew how much wearing shoes meant to Bilbo.

And yet he couldn’t help but miss his home sometimes. His old home. The Shire. Living in a hobbit hole was certainly to some degree comparable to the vast tunnel systems beneath the mountain, but also – well, it was not. The dwarven mines were dark and even though they were carven skilfully and decorated with runes and ornaments they were nothing but blank stone.

Cold, grey stone that made Bilbo feel empty and lonely at times. He missed the Shire, yes, and what he missed most about it were the fields, the lovely meadows, the trees, the grass, his little garden… Everything in the Shire was green and alive. Unlike this mountain. And while he could never tell Thorin that all the stone around him reminded him of a tomb (Thorin would lecture him for hours how the stone meant life and it was not at all dead) he was determined to plant his own garden down here in Erebor.

He was not sure why he kept his plan from Thorin. Maybe he was ashamed. Maybe he did not want to admit how much he missed it. Maybe he was afraid that Thorin would think he would not care enough for him. Maybe he feared that Thorin, or one of the other dwarves, would make fun of it. Maybe a bit of all. He did not know.

The first challenge was finding a suitable place for a garden deep beneath a mountain. But Bilbo was lucky enough to know of some empty store rooms on the upper levels. They were leaking and there hadn’t been the need to repair them yet. They were wet enough for some moss to grow, but Bilbo would certainly be able to plant some flowers here too once he set up some lights.

Bilbo had been married to a dwarf for long enough to know the basics about stone carving and on his request Glóin was willing to show him some extra tricks for how to set up lamps and fuel them effectively. Bilbo was sure that there was some dwarven magic about it, because his lamps never glowed as nicely and brightly as Glóin’s ones, but in the end he managed a result that was acceptable, and Glóin praised him, and shortly after he set up the lights in the chamber he planted some flower seeds there and they really started growing.

Over time, Bilbo’s small garden that had grown out of moss and dirt became a rich green jewel full of flowers beneath the mountain. He loved it. He would spend hours there every day, caring for the plants, watering them, checking the lights, and sometimes he would just sit there and enjoy the peace, the quiet and the smell of earth and grass. Even a little tree had started growing between his flowers, and Bilbo nursed it with great care. He was curious what kind of tree it would be, and he was also proud that his little garden was growing so nicely.

Bilbo was in heaven.

About two years later Thorin finally found the time to inspect the leaking store rooms. He was alone in the corridor, checking the cracks in the walls and inspecting the air shafts when he suddenly stopped in front of the last door. There was a strange scent in the air, an unfamiliar yet not unwelcome one. One that Thorin knew somehow, and that yet was strange. It did not belong here into the mountain – or did it?

When he opened the door he was overwhelmed. He had never expected an entire garden to grow in one of the leaking rooms. Of course there had been moss, even mushrooms in some, but an entire garden with flowers and – was this a little acorn tree?

Thorin blinked in astonishment. He had not thought it to be possible that such a rich flora could ever prosper so deep beneath the mountain in the light of the dwarven lamps, but apparently it was possible. It was a lovely garden, and well cared for. Whoever was looking after this little miracle, he apparently had great knowledge of gardening and even greater love for it.

Within a heartbeat Thorin knew that he had to show his discovery to Bilbo. His husband would love to know that there was an actual garden in Erebor, a garden with grass and flowers. Bilbo hardly spoke of it, for whatever reason, but he knew that his husband missed the Shire and especially all the plants, the nature that had surrounded him there. He would love it to come down here.

When he went back to his chambers that afternoon Thorin had a soft smile on his face. He could not wait to tell Bilbo about his discovery. Somehow he would have to find the owner of the garden and get their permission to open it for Bilbo. Maybe Bilbo would be glad to help them with the gardening, too, if they would let him.

Maybe he could even extend the garden, tear down some walls and make room for more plants in the next storage rooms. They could spare two or three of them, and if being married to a Hobbit had told him one thing it was that nature was important for the soul.

These happy thoughts were still on his mind when they went to bed this evening. He crawled under the covers and wrapped his arms around Bilbo who snuggled closer to him and buried his face in his shoulder. Thorin could feel the hair at his husband’s feet trickle his own.

“Bilbo?”

“Mh?”

“You know, today when I went to inspect the empty store rooms I found something.” Was it his mind playing a trick on him or did Bilbo suddenly hide deeper beneath the blanket?

“Oh yeah? What was it?”

“You won’t believe this, it’s a garden! An entire garden here, beneath the mountain, there are actual flowers growing down here! I was thinking…” He looked down at Bilbo and was certain that he was blushing a little. “I was thinking that maybe you would like to spend some time there? I could ask the owner once I found them.”

“That’s, uh, that won’t be necessary.” Bilbo was definitely hiding beneath the blanket now, and he was blushing, too.

“What do you mean? You don’t want to see the garden?” Thorin’s face fell. “But I thought you might enjoy it. I know you miss the Shire, love.”

“That is – I mean, yes, I do. Of course I do. Just like you missed Erebor when you were living in the Blue Mountains. But I have you now.”

Thorin kissed Bilbo’s forehead. He couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. He had hoped so much that Bilbo would like his discovery! “But… don’t you want to see the garden at all? I found it quite adorable.”

Bilbo sighed. “You know, Thorin, the garden… it’s mine.”

“What?”

“It’s mine, I planted it, I cared for it, I made it because I missed the Shire.” Now Bilbo hid his face in Thorin’s bare chest. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it. I should probably have asked before I used the old store room. But I didn’t want you to feel bad about it, and I don’t know… I guess I was ashamed? That you would make fun of it?”

“That I would make fun of you being homesick? Oh darling, I would have understood. We dwarves all know how bad homesickness can be.” He patted Bilbo’s locks. “I’m only sorry that you didn’t tell me about it sooner. I would have loved to see it grow.”

“I’m sorry… maybe we can go there together tomorrow? Before you tear it down?”

“Don’t worry, there is no tearing down. We will keep the garden. It is beautiful.”

Bilbo smiled.

“Actually, I was thinking,” Thorin continued, “what would you say if we set up some more gardens in one or two of the other leaking store rooms? We can spare them, and I’m certain you wouldn’t be the only one they would bring joy.”

“You would do that?” Bilbo’s eyes grew wider together with his smile. “Oh, Thorin!”

“But you have to promise me one thing.”

“Which is?”

“Teach me how to do it. How to plant flowers. And how did you even get that tree in there?”

Bilbo shrugged. “I have no idea. It just grew there on its own. As if by magic.”

When Thorin now leaned down to kiss Bilbo again his husband returned the kiss. Then, Thorin drew him closer again.

“Well, I have always known that there was something magical about you.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this, please leave me a comment and Kudos! :D


End file.
